Information science is concerned with:

• A. The stability and security of the technical infrastructure in an organization in order to facilitate the effective retrieval of information
• B. Obtaining, gathering, organizing, manipulating, managing, storing, retrieving, recapturing, disposing of, distributing or broadcasting information
• C. The management and application of information in a methodical and systematic manner to facilitate the practice of professionals in a healthcare setting
• D. The design and use of specific data-capturing capabilities that facilitate and enhance the input and output of healthcare data

Answer: (B)

Information science examines how information is created, organized, stored, retrieved, and shared throughout its life cycle. The option that lists obtaining, gathering, organizing, manipulating, managing, storing, retrieving, recapturing, disposing of, and distributing or broadcasting information best captures this broad lifecycle and the many processes involved in handling information from creation to disposal.

The other descriptions are more limited: focusing on the stability and security of technical infrastructure emphasizes the hardware and systems environment rather than the information itself; emphasizing the management and application of information in healthcare points to informatics in professional practice rather than the overall information lifecycle; and stressing data-capturing capabilities relates to input/output technologies for healthcare data rather than the full spectrum of information handling.